Improvement in ruffling-and-hemking attachments for sewing-machines



GFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHNSON, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HOSEA B. CARTER, OF EAST HAMPSTEAD, NEV HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HUFFLING-AND-HEMMING ATTACHNIENTS FR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,715, dated July 4, 187]..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOHNSON, of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ruiiiing or Gathering Device for Sewing-Machines; and do hereby declare the saine to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawing, of which- Figure l is a side elevation of a sewing-inacliine (or such parts thereof as are necessary to illustrate the nature and operation of my invention) as provided with the said device. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view of the device as detached. Figs. -i and 5 are side elevations of the saine.

To provide a simple and effective means of producing any desired degree of gathering or fullness of the rufliin g, frilling, or puiiing-strip or piece upon the ungathered band or fabric to which it is to be stitched is the object of my invention. My invention consists in the peculiar construction of the ruiiier, and its combination with the presser-foot, or other equivalent device depending from the presser-foot bar, in such manner as to enable the said ruliier to be readily adjusted with respect to the ungathered band or material -to which the ruiiiing is to be aliixed, and to produce such frictional action upon such bandas to so regulate its movement with reference, to that of the ruliiing or trilling portion as to insure any degree of fullness of the rutiin g upon the band that may be desirable. l

In the said drawing, A denotes the table of a sewing-machine; B, the goose-neck or curved arm which carries the presser-foot bar and needle-bar. D is the needle. E is a hemmer, which is applied to the said bar in lieu of the presser-foot, (either of which may be used with my device.) Il' is the cloth-supporting plate; and Gr, the feed device,

so disposed as to work through the face thereof. It is the ruiner, which consists of a iiat plate of metal, of a rectangular or trapezoidal shape, and is provided with a curved lip or cloth-guide, a, formed on one edge thereof. It also has a curved arm, H, by which it is aflixed to the presser-foot bar C, by means of a screw, I,which passes through an oblong slot, J, formed longitudinally 1n the arm H, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, and screws into the said bar. rBhe said arm has two parallel iianges or wings, b I), which embrace the said bar on opposite sides, and serve to maintain the said rufiier in its proper position, or in parallelism with the cloth-plate F, both while stationary and while being moved up or down, as circumstances may require. There is also made through the face of the said ruflier an oblong seam-slot or passage, d, the needle l) working through such, and near the inelosed end thereof. The said seam-slot is not coincident or pa-rallel with the line of feed, but inclines toward the guide a, in the direction of the feed. The object of making such slot inclined is to cause the seam, in passing through such, to crowd the band to which the gathers or rufliing is to be stitched toward the guide, and maintain it in contact therewith, in those machines in which the area of feeding-surface is greater upon the material on the one side of the needle than that on the other side thereof, and thus compensate for the frictional tendency of such to draw the band away from its guide.

I do not limit my invention to its application to the presser-foot bar, as it may also be attached to the presser-foot when one is used, orto the hammer when it is employed.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: The rufiier or device being attached to the presser-foot bar, or a dependency therefrom, the

strip or band from which the rut'de, frill, or puff is to be formed is to be laid upon the cloth-supporting plate, the lower face ofthe ruftler resting upon it; the piece or fabric to which the-ruiiiing is to be attached is next laid between the top surface ofthe said rutiler and the presser-foot, or its equivalent, and the rufller so adjusted, by means of its screw, with reference to the thickness of such piece or fabric, as to produce a greater or lesserfdegree of frictional action upon the same in accordance with the fullness or looseness of the gathering or rui'liing required. If a slight fullness is sought the ruflier isV so arranged to bear upon the material between it and the press- ,er-foot as to cause but little friction upon it while passing between them. If a greater fullness of the ruining is desired the rui'iler is brought nearer the presser-foot, and so adjusted as to produce the requisite frictional action upon the said piece, and thereby retard the movement thereof, the under or ruining-band or piece being gathered up or fed along with a uniform speed by the feeding device ofthe machine.

Thus it will be seen that, by my arrangement,

While the piece to be gathered in to form the frill or ruiiie is moved at a given or uniform rate of speed, the band or fabric to which it is to be stitched is moved at such a relative rate as may be required to produce the desired fullness of gathers. By adjusting' the device or rufiier to bear upon the band or ungathered fabric with only sufficient friction to keep it smooth while passing between it and the presser-foot, the two pieces will be simply sewed together without producing any rufliing or gathering whatever. By duly increasing the friction or pressure of the rufiier upon the fabric to which the ru'ling is to be stitched, any desired fullness of the 'rufliing may be produced.

One great advantage resulting from the construction and arrangement of my device as described is that, not being affixed to the clothplate, as is usually the case, it offers no obstruction to the free manipulation of the ungathered band or fabric and the piece to be gathered in, so that the rufiiing may be affixed to either side of the band with equal facility. Another important advantage which arises from the combil'iation and arrangement of the ruflier with the hemmer, as shown, is that when it is desired to make a finish 7 to the ungathered band the whole process of gathering, hemming, and stitching may be performed ata single operation; whereas, in the ordinary method, the gathering and stitching' of the pieces are lirst effected, the two pieces being next turned and finished by another line of stitching. By combining the ruffler and hemmer with the 4sewing-machine, as described, the presser-foot may be dispensed with, and either the rufiing and sewing of the two pieces may be accomplished in the ordinary manner when no hem or finish is required, or the gathering, hemming, and finish may be produced at one and the same time, as may be desirable.

I do not claim a rufliing device, irrespective of its construction nor do I claim the interposition of a plate between the two pieces of fabric, one of which is to be gathered upon the other preparatory to being stitched thereto, as I am aware that such is not new; nor do I claim anything shown or described in Letters Patent No. (59,946 or 80,371, as my invention differs materially therefrom.

Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. rIhe combination and arrangement of the adjustable ruff-1er It and the hemmer E with a sewing-machine, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The improved ruffler, as formed, with the inclined seam-slot d, as and for the purpose set Y forth.

WILLIAM JOHNSON.

Witnesses F. P. HALE, F. C. HALE. 

